1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to methods and apparatus that allow a lone human female to conveniently obtain and record video images from within her own vagina and video images of her own cervix. Such private video images are useful to enhance the privacy of the female during self-examinations, to help her gain additional power over her own body, to help her determine potential early warning signs of cervical cancer or infections, for birth control, to aid in becoming pregnant, and for educational proposes to view and study her own sexual response. The hand-held device, or instrument, that is inserted within the vagina is called the Personal Pelvic Viewer™ (PPV™) which contains a sealed video camera.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various vaginal specula are used by physicians to view the interior of the vagina of a patient as summarized in FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D and 9 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,729 that issued on Feb. 2, 1999. A transparent bag placed over a video camera has been used by physicians for medical uses as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,916 that issued on Oct. 26, 1999. Vaginal specula for use by physicians are illuminated with a fiber-optic illuminating system as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,383 that issued on Jul. 1, 1986. Different probes used by physicians with vaginal specula are shown in European Patent Application 0 650 694 A1 that was published on May 3, 1995. A vaginal speculum used by a physician is refitted with a video camera as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,368 that issued on Jun. 25, 1991. A vaginal speculum used by a physician is also retrofitted with a video camera as shown in European Patent No. 0 451 200 B1 that issued on Nov. 8, 1995. Another vaginal speculum used by a physician is retrofitted with a video camera as shown in U.S. Ser. No. 2001/0,056,223 A1 that was published on Dec. 27, 2001. A video cervicoscope system to be used by physicians is shown in European Patent Application No. 0 426 063 A1 published on May 8, 1991. A cervical videoscope with a detachable camera unit used by physicians is shown in European Patent EP 0 585 321 B1 that issued on Jan. 29, 1997. An apparatus used by physicians for digital photography useful in cancer detection is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,184 that issued on Nov. 23, 1999. However, the prior art does not provide methods or apparatus so that a female alone may conveniently view the interior of her own vagina and view her own cervix.